


The time it was('nt) a Christmas Carol

by orphan_account



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Super Sons (Comics)
Genre: :), Alternate Universe - Fusion, Batfamily (DCU), Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Gift Fic, Happy, Holidays, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Minor Original Character(s), vaguely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28169367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Damain finds out the meaning of Christmas, eventually. But first, he finds a letter.
Relationships: Damian Wayne & Original Character(s), Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Original Character & Original Character, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3
Collections: SHIP WARS Secret Santa 2020





	The time it was('nt) a Christmas Carol

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gesundheit28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gesundheit28/gifts).



"Damian's been staring at the ground for a while." Stephanie remarks one day after patrol. 

Tim—sitting next to her—shrugs. "Not quite accurate."

This was said because instead of staring at _the ground,_ the boy in question had been staring at a letter—clearly not belonging to him, and found on patrol, lying straight on the ground too. 

"Hey, Damian," Tim finally calls out. "You do know that we can't open other people's mail, right? Not exactly the meaning of these fair holidays. “

Damian shoots him an annoyed glance. “Tt. I know that, " He says defensively. "I'm looking on this because there could be important intel in this letter—we found it on patrol— I'm helping father."

No one believed it but it quietened the room until Damian finally opened the envelope, a soft ripping sound being heard.

For a second, Damian just stared at the folded letter before he opened it and then, continued to stare, before finally—storming out. 

"Well, I guess it wasn't patrol related." Stephanie said.

* * *

_Dear Santa,_

_We need your help! Or rather, you have to help us! We don't mean to sound rude but have to get these toys for everyone! It'd be really helpful. We all really admire you for what you're doing. We have to get to that store._

_Sincerely,_

_The (hopefully) good kids._

* * *

"And that's what it said." Damian declared. "It was both childish and utterly a waste."

"Huh," Jon said, not as enthusiastic. "Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?"

I'm not being harsh,“ Damian insisted. "I'm just being realistic. How does "Santa" help the children of Gotham? Not as much as Father for sure. I don't know why everyone is so fussed about this holiday. “

"Santa's not superhero. Usually." Jon added, uncertain. "And Superheroes aren't the same as him. He brings hope to people instead of just hitting them over the head, believing in him is the most kid like thing, I wish my mom didn't tell me but it was I was supposedly too old." Jon said, rolling his eyes, Damian silently commended Lois for not that but otherwise stayed unusually quiet. Jon noticed. "You did have Santa growing up, right?

"We did have some festivities but I don't think my mother was fond of them. Training was more important to her." 

Jon looked shocked. "You have to try them now! Fun stuff like Santa are the meaning of Christmas. But my parents say caring is also part of it. But returning what you've got, definitely really important. " Jon added, without a hint of subtlety. 

"That seems like they're just trying to make you do stuff." Damian countered. 

Jon shrugged. "Probably, but they're still right. I think you have to try and return the letter, Robin."

Damian considers saying No, but hesitates. "Fine, but only because I have to. But because I want to, not because of your mini speech." Despite that, Jon looks very smug, Damian rolls his eyes. 

* * *

Damian looks over the letter again, and the address. Contrary to what Jon believed, he was doing this out of obligation to return the letter, and that alone. Nothing more. 

"Going somewhere, Master Damian?" 

Damian jumped. A slightly amused Alfred greets at him. "I'm just heading out to school," he lies. 

"I know where you're going, Master Damian, and I already made sure the location you're visiting is safe. You father wouldn't want you gone too long but as long as you don't cause anything dangerous, you'll be fine." 

"I'm not going to cause trouble. It'll be hard to even know I'm gone." Alfred doesn't seem to take him seriously but lets him leave without hassle. 

The location is more isolated than he'd thought, and almost ironically, an orphanage. _Perfect place for a secret organisation to be._ His mind supplies, but that's likely just the paranoia. 

He briefly considers going through the entrance. Alfred's warnings echo through his mind, _D_ _on't cause trouble._ Sneaking in it is then. 

He climbs through the window of one of the rooms, he has to be discreet and especially, act cautiously—

"Hello?" A girl calls out. "Is anyone there?" A young boy pokes out from behind her, equally curious. 

Lovely. 

"Go to sleep." Damian says in the most commanding voice he can muster at 11pm. "This is all a long dream. When you wake up, you be simply well rested and calm." 

Both the girl and boy look unconvinced. "And also have lots of presents." Damian adds convincingly, trying to imitate what Dick told him once. It doesn't seem to work so Damian decides to go with the honest route. "You two. Do you know who this letter belongs to?" 

"That's ours!" The boy says surprised. "Cindy, Cindy, look. Didn't we send that?" Two young children sending a letter to an unknown recepiant for...gifts. It did not sound good. "Did you sent this letter to someone you know?" He questioned. "Or was this someone who coerced you to send letters?" 

The girl flushed. "What? No! We sent this to Santa, so we don't know why you have it." she says accusingly. 

"It was found on the ground. Alone." Damian says nduclrously, he couldn't believe that's who they were actually sending it to. Who still believed in Santa? 

"Does that mean...he didn't get it?" Both children looked upset, and downtrodden. Suddenly, Damian felt a jolt of guilt. 

He awkwardly tried comforting them. "I'm sure ...Santa was able to understand what gifts you wanted." 

"It's not just that!" The girl said, upset. "We didn't send that letter because we wanted him to send gifts, or have a mysterious dark figure question us... We wanted to be able to buy gifts for everyone." Damian was confused, she rolled up the letter and pointed to the last line. "See? Normally the matrons can buy fancy gifts at least once a year for Christmas but this year, the nearby toy store was attacked by Penguin." He winced. He knew what instance she was talking about; father paid for the shop to repaired but it wasn't the same. "We sent a letter because...well, we did want gifts but for everyone, and from a good store like usual. But. the nearest place to get good gifts—we'd never get there in time. "

The girl suddenly sighed. "Thanks for bringing the letter here. There's nothing we can do." Damian suddenly felt conflicted.There was no reason for him to care, he just came here because he had no reason not to, but...his thought of his own "holidays" in the past drifted though, he tried to ignore the feeling it gave him.

_"Mother. The servants are having parties, but not for any practical reasons. "_

_"I see." she'd said, as if already aware of the fact. "We could reprihend them but if they're doing their job, it doesn't really matter what else they do._

_"Mother." he said. "Perhaps... Perhaps it would be good I imitate similar traditions—so I can better integrate if I have to go to similar situations, or go undercover in a mission. All the other children are doing so. "_

_"Damian." his mother said, annoyed. "You have more important things to worry about than social calls." She moved out of her chair and face to face, giving a stern look. "What about your normal training? Your lessons in speech? You can't possibly think it's necessary to complicate your schedule even more. The meaning of these times is not to mess around."_

_"I'm sorry, Mother."_

_"I'm saying this for you. Just focus on trying to make your grandfather and I proud, you don't have time for anything else, Damian."_

"Really," Her brother interrupted his thoughts. "We appreciate it, Mister, returning the letter, but what can be done?"

But something...something could be done. "I'll help you." he suddenly declared.

Both children looked shocked. The girl spoke first. "But even with 3 of us, we can't go to any of the shops nearby without a vehicle."

"I think," he said, somewhat arrogantly. "That won't be too difficult." He stepped out of the shadows, his identifiable red and yellow suit combination now being easily seen. 

Somewhat humourless, their gaping expressions only furthered confirmed his theory that—as suspected—his father's strategy of looming in the dark before being ominously entering the svene was a good way as another to be revealed.

* * *

  
"Robin." The boy, who he know learned to be a "Sam" said. "I can't believe I doubted Robin, and said so, to his face."

"You're really him?" “Cindy” said. "Like, really, really. Robin." She repeated, as if she couldn't believe it. Robin." 

"Wait," Sam said. "Is it true that Batman has a secret lair where he attacks criminals? Or his own car, or his own currency?" 

Damain raised an eyebrow, he wasn't aware that people knew of the that, the car not the other two ridiculous things,but he supposed it was hard to miss a giant car that occasionally turns into a jet, even in Gotham. "I must assume you are both interested in the vehicle of choice we're using, the Batmobile?" 

"The _what?"_

* * *

"I'm going to die."

"No, sis, we're just going to have our faces splattered. And then die."

"Neither one of you idiots is going to die!" 

* * *

"This has got to be illegal, this *feels* like a crime." 

"Do you want to get there or not?"

* * *

"Wait, are you allowed to drive?" 

"Yes." 

"But you look younger than _me,_ and Cindy, and neither one of us is allowed to drive. Are you?" 

"He's speeding up, stop going faster. Please stop—Sam! What did you say to him?" 

* * *

After one—not at terrifying—cruise through the batmobile, they arrived at the long awaited Toy store. Armed with allowances and money the matrons had surprised beforehand, aware Cindy and Sam found a way to buy presents for everyone, not aware of the teenager superhero assisting them. 

"That—that was amazing!" Cindy excitingly said. 

"You were screaming throughout half of the ride here." 

"Amazing!" 

As they entered the store, Cindy paused. "Uh. But seriously, thanks. We probably couldn't have done anything without you. Sorry if I was annoying when I yelled my head off before too." She added sheepishly. 

Damian noncomitally shrugged. "Tt, you could've been very much worse." _It's nothing compared to how much trouble Drake or the others could be_ he almost grumbled. 

Cindy instantly cheered up. "Everything is going so well! Like one of those carols! This is true meaning of Christmas, something like that." 

He stopped, he felt like he'd been hearing that often recently. The "true meaning of things" but he didn't understand what it meant. "But what's the true meaning of Christmas?" Damian asked. "Religious purposes? Recreation? Do people just needlessly use it or their own creations for financial gains?" 

"Huh?" Cindy said, confused. "Christmas isn't   
any of that. I mean, it's not even Christmas that's important, it's about spending time with your family and others. Happy stuff. That's what I like to believe!"

"That...is actually good advice." 

"Yeah, I've been told I'm exceptionally smart for mg age. I'm good with that." Cindy said smugly, coincidencely, completely missing what Damian meant. "Argh!—Sam is going to get all the best gifts for his friends! That kid..." 

* * *

Damian holds a small box in his hands. _"We may have preferred Superman—urgh, I meant Batman, totally....but now, we're definitely your fans now!"_ They had told him. Inside the box was a variety of goodies and sweets, and if he, the (true) heir to the richest corporation in Gotham, and one of the best in the world, needed cheap sweets. He would have made fun of it but here, it felt oddly...nice.

"And, of course, I'll be attending that party and the JL one tommorow. Right. Oh—Damian! There you are!" Dick spotted Damian in the corner of the living room. "I thought I wouldn't see you today, Merry Christmas!" Upbeat, he handed Damian a large gift.

"But I didn't get you anything, Grayson." Damian protested, the last gift he gave him was when Richard was still Batman, and that was completely different (because he'd always given Batman something when holidays came around). 

Dick shrugged non-committally. "No need to worry, you aren't expected to give something just because you were given a gift. Besides we still have time for the gifts everyone in the tower in giving. You can still join if you want." 

That could actually be fun. Dick took his silence and lack of displeasure as Yes, and Damian didn't correct him.

"Great! By the way, Superboy stopped by before. It was something about being" remaking traditions"?" Dick said amused. "Whatever he means, he seemed pretty serious." As serious as a superpowered 10 year old could be. 

"I might be helping Father later," he said. 

"We're all helping Bruce later with JL related things," Dick pointed out. "You can afford to slack off! Just have fun around these times."

Part of him wanted to deny the request and demand he be treated like an adult; it had been what Damian did in the past, staying up, filing report after report on Christmas Eve. But he found he didn't want that anymore. 

"Well. It is a rather important endeavour." he said with an air of seriousness. "I cannot allow Superboy—or anyone else—to undergo serious troubles." 

_Yes,_ Damian decided later, he liked Christmas. 

**Author's Note:**

> I may have made Damian so OOC, I'm sorry-  
> I didn't think I'd ever write a batman fic especially not during these times but l liked this. 
> 
> I've never celebrated christmas so apologies if any of that was wrong. Shoutout to that one collegehumor skit about the meaning of christmas for giving me the motivation to write the end of this. I too, will find the meaning of Christmas, hopefully in a bowl of soup or some other place easy to find idk.
> 
> happy holidays! I hope this was a fun read.


End file.
